


The Name of Love

by MetallicHeart



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Greaser, M/M, and cronus being absolutely cronus, caste system, discovering love, kankri being absolutely kankri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetallicHeart/pseuds/MetallicHeart
Summary: Everyone knows how Kankri is. "Don't touch me this, don't trigger me that, blah blah blah." He's much happier avoiding having a matesprit, though he struggles a little to turn away Cronus's advances. Of course they make Kankri uncomfortable, but once he starts thinking about what Grand High is going to do with the Lowbloods, a hug from a Highblood doesn't exactly sound too bad.Cronus takes Kankri's opening up to him about his worries as an opportunity to try and form something with him. Cronus would give anything to make Kankri his matesprit. He's trying not to rush things, but he just has a gut feeling that he's closer than ever to getting that dream relationship he's after. Will Kankri break his celibacy and give in?
Relationships: Cronus Ampora/Kankri Vantas, Sollux Captor & Karkat Vantas
Kudos: 14





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of my own take on life in Alternia so if something looks incorrect please don't attack me for it ;~;  
> I'm not sure if this story will have NSFW yet, but if it should, I'll be sure to add a warning. I hope you all enjoy some quality Cronkri! <3

“How doesn’t your throat hurt from all that talking?

Kankri gets asked that a lot, and his default answer was “I have grown rather used to it.”

Porrim chuckled. “I can tell. You’re so accustomed to it that I bet you don’t even think twice before speaking.”

Kankri scoffed a little as he set his book down. “Well of course I think twice before speaking. It is in my best interest to not offend anyone by speaking my thoughts, which I hope to be deemed as the truth. Nothing is more correct than the truth and I will go far out of my way in order to speak it, as the Signless once did, and I hope Karkat will. If I did not ‘think twice before speaking’ as you say, then surely I would be offending many more people and losing hold of whatever relationships I have. Of course I decide my words before speaking them. How can I talk if I do not know what I am going to say?”

Porrim sighed and then chuckled. “You’ve got a point there. I’m just so surprised you can come up with your words so quickly. Consider that a compliment.”

Kankri smiled. “Why, thank you. And might I compliment your fashion sense as well; I do not believe anyone else in Alternia dresses as you do.”

Porrim beams. “Thank you! I designed it myself actually-”

“Of course that is probably because you designed it yourself and have not yet opened a shop yet,” Kankri ranted, “You should really consider opening a shop, you know. Your sense of attire is so mature and put together, and yet revealing and carefree. I do believe that many others in Alternia would swoon for your designs and would be lining up for miles just to see them. There are plenty of open buildings in town that you could pick from. I would recommend starting small for now, as there is no promise that you will hit things off immediately, but that does not mean you would not with time-”

“Okay Kankri!” Porrim laughed, “Okay! Okay, I got it.” She won’t tell him that that rant of his just gave her the last of the motivation she needed to try; he would rant about how helpful he is then.

Kankri smiled gently. “Very well.” He looked at his phone. “Oh, I should be going for my afternoon walk now. Karkat should be home from Sollux’s around 7. Could you watch for him?”

“I sure can,” Porrim chuckled, “but honey, you know he’s never home on time. He stays later and later every visit. I think he and Sollux are getting closer… you should let them spend more time together.”

Pulling on his shoes, Kankri sighed. “Matesprit-ships are so overrated. I truly do not understand how some people devote their lives to-”

“Kankri!!” Porrim laughed. “Your walk! Go!”

“I am going!” Kankri goes out the door, “I am!”  
\----------  
Kankri did not just take walks to help keep his slim figure beneath his baggy sweater; they helped clear his head. Obviously, someone who talks as much as he does probably has a lot on his mind.

Grand Highblood has been more… well, as the younger trolls would say, “crazy,” as of lately, much more oppressive against the Lowbloods. Kankri’s stomach churned as he thought of all the possibilities of what could be. Would the Lowbloods all be forced to relocate, or would they be slaughtered? The decision was all in its entirety in the hands of GHB.

Kankri shook his head. “Don’t think about it… do not think about it...” He sat on a park bench and rubbed his face. It was not like Kankri to be this open about his stress, rubbing his face and all, but sometimes he just couldn’t help it. It’s a natural thing to be scared to die.

“Someone looks a little tuckered out~” A male voice cooed to him, and Kankri looked up to see Cronus leaning against the tree, grinning. 

Kankri sighed a little, but he didn’t exactly mind Cronus; he was the only one that actually listened to the Highblood, anyway. “Mayhaps… I just have a lot on my mind, I suppose.”

“Tell me all about it babe,” Cronus sits down next to him, “I’m all fins~” He grins endlessly.

Kankri scooched away a little. “I would rather not.”

“What~!” Cronus fake-gasped, “Kankri not ventin’ endlessly about his problems? Mus’ be somefin real heavy.”

Kankri winced a little. Cronus of course genuinely cared about him, though why did not make any sense. Cronus was a Highblood after all, and he should have been kicking Kankri into the dirt. But, he wasn’t. Here he was with his arm around the Lowblood, encouraging him to talk about his feelings, and for once, Kankri didn’t want to. It involved people like Cronus anyway, so he would probably get offended.

“Heavy… would be the right word, yes,” Kankri sighed softly, “Shocking I do not wish to talk, I know. But it’s… more for the sake of not offending-.... Anyone that may or may not be listening.”

“Then don’t talk,” Cronus smiled into Kankri’s eyes. “We don’t gotta talk. I’m perfectly fine just sitting here with you.”

Again Kankri sighed. “Truly I do not understand why you seem to enjoy being around me. I mean I’m a Lowblood-” Kankri covered his mouth quickly, though Cronus heard it and looked just as surprised that he said it.

“Chief, your blood type don’t matter to me,” He patted Kankri’s back, “and if it did I wouldn’t be sitting here. I care about you, you know. You’re one-a the only people that care about me so… you’re important to me, you know?”

Kankri winced a little. No one’s ever really said that to him before. “But I should not be… should I? You are a higher blood rank than me, surely you should despise me-”

Cronus reaches out his hand to caress Kankri’s cheek and gently press his thumb to his lips to quiet him. “But I don’t.” He smiles. “I couldn’t ever, Kankri.”

Sighing shakily, Kankri looked down. “Truly… your kindness knows no bounds… th-thank you.”

“Awe~ babe don’t get all sentimental on me~” Cronus hugged Kankri into him, “Or do, I don’t mind...” He smiled and rubbed Kankri’s back. “If anyfin it’s your kindness that doesn’t have boundaries. I figured you’d be sick-a me by now.”

Kankri hated hugs, but this one felt different, so he let Cronus hold his head to his chest and he listened to his heartbeat. Cronus’s heart was POUNDING, and Kankri couldn’t help but smile a little.

“I couldn’t ever, Cronus...”

Cronus smiles big. ‘He’s actually letting me hug him!! God what I WOULDN’T give to just kiss his cute little face all over.’ “You’re too sweet Chief. Can I buy you a drink? To help you feel better.”

Kankri sat up. Being seen in public with a Highblood was a big risk to take, but… “Oh, sure. I don’t have much else to do. Thank you Cronus...”

Cronus leapt up and took Kankri’s hand. “To the bar we go!”

Kankri groaned quietly. “To the bar we go...”


	2. Chapter 2

This bar… is not exactly what Kankri pictured in his head.

Stereotypical bars were rowdy and dirty and the air was thick and it was loud and there were tons of people… but this place was quite the opposite of all of those. There weren't more than maybe five people in here, and the place was nicely put together and neatly kept. If anything this place was more of a spacious cafe than anything. Kankri couldn’t help but feel grateful that it wasn’t a real bar.

“This is a bar?” Kankri turned to Cronus who was sitting next to him with a beer. Kankri himself had a mug of warm tea.

Cronus chuckled. “Well, uh, it’s kind of a bar. It serves alcohol.” He looked around. “It’s more of like… a drinking place, I guess? It serves all kinds of stuff.”

“Ah, I see...” Kankri looked down into the mug at his reflection. “... there aren’t that many people here.”

“It’s not a terribly popular place,” Cronus leaned back in his chair. “Which is why I like to come here at night. Be alone with my thoughts and whatnot, you know?”

Kankri nodded and took a small sip from his tea. A weird feeling was settling in the pit of his stomach. Being here with Cronus made him feel a certain way, but he couldn’t really put his finger on it. He knew for sure that he was a little uneasy, but he couldn’t decide if it was a bad uneasy or a good uneasy. Regardless, he was nervous.

Cronus noticed Kankri looking down. “Feelin’ any better, Chief?” He asked, “I’ve never had this place’s tea before so I couldn’t tell you if it were the absolute best-”

“N-No, it’s fine,” Kankri smiled a little, “the tea is just fine.”

Cronus half smiled at him. “How about from earlier?”

Kankri swallowed and looked down again. He really didn’t want to talk about his fear of the Highbloods’ intentions with the Lowbloods, especially to Cronus, who was a Highblood. Cronus could turn against him in seconds, he could even bash Kankri’s skull into the floor right now and no one around would bat an eye. Cronus was technically Kankri’s only person to talk to, and Kankri didn’t want to risk giving that up.

Suddenly Cronus’s voice cut into Kankri’s raging thoughts. “Chief? You feelin’ alright?”

Kankri blinked and looked up at him. “Hm? I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Oh, sure,” Cronus smiled, “I asked if you were feelin’ alright.”

“I suppose...” Kankri looked down at his mug again, making Cronus frown.

“You’re never this quiet, somefin must really be wrong,” He leans in a little, close enough that Kankri could pick up on his cologne; it wasn’t terribly strong, and he found himself admiring that about Cronus. “You don’t gotta tell me if you don’t want to babe, but I’m worried about you.”

Kankri looked up at him. “What kind of cologne do you use?” ‘Well that was an awkward question. He’ll know you smelled him. Way to go Vantas.’

“Oh, my cologne?” Cronus grinned. “It’s Bleu de Chanel.” Suddenly Cronus swallowed and looked a little shy. “Do… you like it?”

Kankri smiled a little. “I… I do. It suits you very well.”

Cronus smiled big and his fins flapped a little. “Thank you Kankri.”

It was a little easier then for Kankri to talk to Cronus, and the two conversed like the friends that they were. Kankri held his tongue many times so that Cronus could speak, but whenever Kankri ranted, Cronus just seemed to… get lost in it, watching Kankri with a smile on his face as he listened.

Kankri was nearing the end of a rant when Cronus suddenly spoke to him. “You know Chief, others may be bothered by it sometimes, but I could listen to you talk all day.”

Immediately Kankri shut up and his face flushed. “Hm? Me ranting?”

“Absolutely,” Cronus smiled, “I can’t say much else makes me more happy than hearin’ your voice.”

“Really…?” Kankri shrunk down a little, immediately getting shy. “Usually I just annoy everyone.”

“Well you don’t annoy me,” Cronus smiled more, “You never do.”

Kankri looked up at him and the two watched each other for a while. Well, Kankri was watching Cronus, while Cronus was gazing into Kankri’s eyes. Whether this was a date or not, Cronus wished it could last forever. Unfortunately, though, that could not be for the time being.

“Do ya want me to walk you home?” Cronus asked, “It’s gettin’ late an’ all.”

“That would be nice, thank you...” Kankri smiled.

Soon the two were walking back to Kankri’s hive. It was already dark out, and Kankri was already hoping that Karkat was home. 

Kankri walked close to Cronus, but not so close that their arms were touching. Any Highblood thug could have jumped out at any moment to snatch Kankri, but with Cronus being next to him, Kankri felt a little safer.

“Thanks for hangin’ out with me, Chief,” Cronus spoke, “I’m glad I didn’t have to spend tonight alone.”

Kankri coughed a little. “Ah… a-anytime Cronus. Um… th-thank you too… for… letting me… spend mutual time with you as well.”

Cronus smiled. “Gettin’ shy on me? What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing!” Kankri crossed his arms. “I have not the slightest idea what you could be talking about.”

Over the sound of the blood rushing in his ears, Kankri could hear Cronus chuckling. It wasn’t a ridicule or anything of the sort. Cronus just sounded… happy, as if he were genuinely enjoying his time walking with Kankri. Kankri, of course, doubted that a little, because little to no people ever liked even the mention of him. Cronus was different though; he went out of his way to spend time with Kankri and even listened to him rant, even if it was over the most ridiculous of things. And what’s more, Cronus seemed to enjoy it. But why? Why did he? What about Kankri drew Cronus to him so much?

“I just...” Kankri began, “I just do not really understand why you seem to enjoy spending so much of your personal time with me. I mean, almost no one else comes around me like you do, and if they do they have to spend hours working themselves up to force themselves to even come a step closer. You do it like it is second nature, as if it does not- I mean as if I do not bother you in the slightest, which is more or less impossible considering how I seem to bother quite literally everyone else. I must make the assumption that you must not have anything better to do so you stoop so low as to hang out with me, a Lowblood who technically should disgust you and you should want to get rid of from your life completely so why don’t you-?”

Kankri shut up abruptly when he realized he finally said it. Cronus’s eyes widened a bit. “Chief, I… sheesh, I’m sorry you feel that way… but let me tell you something.” He came to stand before Kankri. “There’s a reason why I spend so much time with you. Well, a few reasons, but the most important reason is because you’re literally the only troll that listens to me. No one else hears me out like you do. And honestly, you give me something to look forward to every day. Like I gotta reason to live now just because you exist. You bein’ a Lowblood literally means nothin’ to me. You make me happy, and well, I hope I make you happy too by listenin’ to you in return. I love listenin’ to you anyway; you’ve got a lot of interesting stuff to say and I like hearin’ it.”

Kankri looked up at Cronus with great wonder. His heart was thudding against the inside of his chest enough that he could feel it. He couldn’t tell if he was flushed in the face or not, but he probably was. Cronus really did mean everything he was saying, Kankri could feel it.

“You… do you really mean that?” Kankri took a step closer to him. “Cronus… I-”

That step closer, in hindsight, wasn’t the best idea. Kankri didn’t realize his shoe was untied, so he tripped and fell right into Cronus, catching Cronus off guard and causing him to fall in return. The two crashed into the bushes, at least, and they broke their fall.

Coughing, Kankri sat up and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He looked down… to see that he had landed right on top of Cronus. Cronus was laying on his back, and only then did Kankri realize his hands were on Cronus’s chest.

“Oh-!” Kankri moved backwards.

“Chief you’re alright you’re fine-!” Cronus sat up abruptly, and the two fell over again, only this time Cronus was now hovering over Kankri, whose back was against the ground.

Cronus blushed. “Ah… you alright Chief?”

Kankri was flushed red. Usually he would have immediately kicked Cronus off of him, but… “I’m… I-I’m alright. Are… are you?”

“Quite so...” Cronus smiled a little.

The two didn’t even hear someone approaching. “Oh my gog, couldn’t you guys wait until you got a room? Seriously, this is disgusting.”

Kankri looked back to see Karkat standing there with his arms crossed. Cronus immediately sat up, as did Kankri. “Oh hello Karkat….! That was not at all what it looked like. See I did not realize my shoe was untied so I tripped and-”

“Sure, sure,” Karkat rolled his eyes. “Still disturbing to walk by and see. Kinda funny you waited until you were right in front of the hive.”

Kankri looked up to see that he and Cronus had in fact made it to the Vantas hive. “Well… it appears we have...”

Karkat started towards the door. “I’m gonna go inside now. You guys just… keep doing what you’re doing I guess…?” He closed the door behind him.

Cronus helped Kankri stand. “Sheesh… sorry if I offended you Chief...”

“You did not…!” Kankri waved his hands. “You did not offend me… i-if anything, I’m sorry I fell on you...”

It was then Cronus’s turn to wave his hands. “Don’t be sorry! I’m just sorry I fell on you and stuff.”

Kankri giggled. “You’re alright...”

Cronus chuckled, and then a silence settled between the two. Kankri swallows.

“Um, Cronus… are you busy tomorrow?”

Cronus tried not to smile really big but ended up smiling a little bit anyway. “I’m not doing anythin’ tomorrow.”

“Would you like to meet up again…?” Kankri fiddled with his hands. “Of course if you would rather spend your free time doing something else, I understand completely. I do not want to take complete control of your life and actions with my wishes to spend more time with you, I just thought that expressing my wishes to do so would be important as to remind you that you are important to me and that I do look forward to seeing you even though I shall try to deny it whenever it should be asked of me. If you are busy tomorrow please do not feel bad about turning down my requests to spend mutual time together, as I would rather you spend your personal time as you see fit-”

“Kankri! Babe,” Cronus chuckled as he gently grabbed Kankri’s shoulders, quieting him. Cronus smiled big. “Spendin’ my personal time with you is perfect. Did you have a set time or place that you preferred?”

Kankri blushed. He didn’t ACTUALLY think Cronus would say yes, so now he’s at a loss for words. “Um… I… well… you know, I do not really… get out, as much as you probably do. I am free after 12… would you mind picking a place to go?”

Cronus beamed. “I’ll surprise you. I’ll see you tomorrow… 12:30?”

Kankri nodded with a small smile. “12:30 sounds just fine… I shall see you then.”

“Sounds good,” Cronus smiled, then started to turn around to walk away, “Goodnight, Kankri.”

Kankri smiled shyly and waved. “Goodnight Cronus.”

Cronus smiled at him once more before starting on his way back to his own hive. Kankri watched him go for a moment before going inside. He leaned against the door after he closed it, and he rubbed his flushed face. He still wasn’t sure what he was feeling in that moment… but he did understand that it wasn’t a bad feeling.

“Your matesprit leave?” Karkat at the table stabbed his fork into his lasagna. “Figured you guys would be out there all night.”

“He is not my matesprit!” Kankri shook his head. “He is not my matesprit, I do not have romantic feelings for him. I could not possibly, because as you know many sweeps ago I took a vow of celibacy-”

“Kankri I know!! For fuck’s sake...” Karkat groaned and rubbed his face. “Anyways, you probably won’t care, but Sollux and I are matesprits now and I’m probably going to be going to his hive more often, okay? … Kankri?”

Kankri wasn’t even listening. He was well on his way up to his bedroom, thinking about how his day with Cronus tomorrow would unravel.


End file.
